Student Trip to Supreme Court Includes Private Session with Justice Scalia

March 29, 2004

The Jepson School endorses a pedagogy that interweaves classroom learning with real-world experiences. In keeping with this philosophy, Dr. Gary McDowell treated students enrolled in his Politics of Law course (cross-listed with the political science department) to a capital experience when he arranged a March 29 class field trip to Washington.

After spending the semester studying the development of constitutional law and the evolution of the judicial-selection process, McDowell thought his students would benefit from observing the Supreme Court in action. A call to the clerk’s office of the Supreme Court yielded a disappointing response, however: Group visits to the Supreme Court were booked through 2005.

Not one to give up easily, McDowell contacted Justice Antonin Scalia, a personal acquaintance. Not only did Scalia arrange for the students to hear two arguments before the court—one regarding a land-use dispute and the other regarding the method of execution in a death-row case—but he also met with students afterward for a 30-minute question-and-answer period. “It was exhilarating to be in court watching all nine justices pepper lawyers with questions,” McDowell said. “Students could see what an adversarial system it really is.”

The highlight of the trip for many students was the private session with Scalia. “There are lawyers who go their entire careers without ever arguing before the Supreme Court or meeting one of the justices,” junior Brian Schatz said, "and we had the chance to see cases being argued and meet with [Justice] Scalia to discuss them.”

Students, who had read Scalia's Matter of Interpretation, listened attentively while he explained his view of the Constitution. Scalia believes state legislatures rather than the high court are the appropriate forums for determining many of today’s controversial issues, such as abortion. “Do you really want me making those kinds of decisions for you?” he asked students.

After spending the morning at the Supreme Court, students lunched with Deputy Secretary of Education Eugene Hickok, Jepson’s leader in residence. Hickok fielded students’ questions on the No Child Left Behind Act.

Students next met with the solicitor general and one of his deputies, whom they had seen argue before the Supreme Court that morning. Schatz said he was impressed by the lawyers’ professionalism and their commitment to follow the rule of law in arguing their cases, regardless of their political persuasions or personal opinions.

Students expressed enthusiasm about the field trip and how it had tied together so many of the topics covered in class. Junior Sarah Vinson said she had been considering attending law school and this experience helped her decide to pursue a legal career.

Although junior Brian Neidig had engaged in other types of experiential education at University of Richmond, this was his first field trip. He said he would love to see more of this type of learning experience offered at the University. “We gained exposure to some of the brightest and most important people in the country,” he said.

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